


Captured

by Philomena85



Category: Alex Verus Series - Benedict Jacka
Genre: Claustrophobia, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Panic Attacks, Trauma, elsewhere, sometimes all you need is a hug, takes place in Marked, what happens in prison stays in prison, what if...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:55:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22022935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philomena85/pseuds/Philomena85
Summary: When Alex visits Morden in prison, something goes horribly wrong and he finds himself locked up in Morden's cell. Reminded of his past, he starts to panic – but this time, he's not alone in his despair...
Relationships: Alex Verus/Morden
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	Captured

**Author's Note:**

> While re-reading Marked, I came across the scene during Alex's visit in San Vittore where he thinks about how easy it would be for the guards to just forgo letting him out again - and just a moment later he contemplates over Morden's comfortable looking bed. Well...things started to develop a life of their own and after discussing the matter with my dear friend Weltatlas, this just sort of happened *shrug* *sorry not sorry* Enjoy :)

For more than half a year Alex Verus had managed to avoid visiting Morden who was currently staying in San Vittore, a maximum security prison located in a bubble realm only accessible through a portal in a Council facility, but now he had been asked to deliver a certain offer to the former Councillor whose representative he had been for nine months now. After passing the security check, Alex was taken through various corridors which all looked the same to him; he was already wondering how on earth a normal human being could remember how to pass through this labyrinth without getting lost. The guard stopped in front of a solid metal door that lead into some kind of airlock with another metal door on the opposite.

'You have 45 minutes. Inner and outer doors won't open if there are any unauthorised presences in the airlock. Understand?'

Alex nodded, entered a small room with concrete walls and watched the outer door close behind him. Thinking about how easy it would be for the guards to just keep him in there sent shivers down his spine. Maybe it was just him being paranoid, but his position as Morden's former aide and now even his representative on the Junior Council had exposed him to a constant risk of getting unseated - or worse.

The inner door opened and revealed a room that was quite different from what Alex had expected: the floor had a carpet and the bed was rather broad and seemed surprisingly comfortable. Beside it a bookcase could be found, alongside a small table with two chairs, one of them occupied by the inmate.

'Hello, Verus,' Morden greeted him, 'I was already wondering when you'd pay me a visit. Why don't you take a seat?'

'Thank you.'

Alex sat down and looked at his former boss with blatant interest; he still seemed confident as always and it was hard to believe that he'd been in solitary confinement for nine months now, if you ignored that fact that he was looking a little bit thinner, the angles of his face more defined than when he'd last seen him.

'So, to what do I owe the pleasure?' Morden asked in order to make his visitor pick up the conversation, prompting Alex to get to the point straight away.

'I'm here to offer you a deal...'

Discussing Council politics with the man who's position he had inherited made Alex relax a little, but the oppressive feeling of being locked in made him lose his nerves more and more. Finally he rose, clearing his throat.

'Well then...I guess I'd better leave now...'

Morden just nodded and watched him walk over to the door, knocking to call the guard. The two men waited for a moment but since nothing happened, Alex gave it another try, harder this time – the result stayed the same. Unnerved, he turned around to face the Dark mage, only to see him shrug.

'Don't worry, they will probably wait until the time is up and get you out afterwards...'

'I really hope so...,' he muttered, going back to sit down at the table once again.

Anxiously he started to search the futures for help coming his way – there wasn't any. He had been requested to hand in his watch at the security check, but he was sure that the 45 minutes he had been given for his visit were already up for quite some time. He got more tense by the minute and didn't even manage to listen to Morden any longer until he heard his name being called.

'Sorry, what?'

Morden seemed slightly annoyed when he repeated his question.

'I was asking if offering me this deal had been a split decision, because it is very hard to imagine this being something everyone agreed on...'

'Yeah, well...'

Glancing around, his voice trailed off.

'Verus, what is wrong with you? I would really like to know why you came here in the first place if you aren't interested in having a conversation. It's kind of rude to turn around all the time while talking to me, don't you think?'

'Excuse me, I just...'

Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes for a second and started running his fingers through his hair.

'Verus, are you feeling unwell?'

Morden passed him a bottle of water from the tray holding his food and softly pressed the back of his hand against Alex's forehead. Finding it covered in cold sweat, he looked up to the small camera attached to the wall right above the door.

'Could someone get a life mage, please? Mage Verus might need medical attention!'

He crouched down beside him and placed one hand on his arm.

'You are suffering from claustrophobia, aren't you?'

Almost unnoticeable, Alex nodded.

'Don't worry, Verus – the Council knows you're here, by the end of the day you'll be reported missing at the latest. Trust me, someone will fix this and you'll be home in no time.'

'What if they decided to lock me up, too? If this was nothing but a cheap trick to make me come here? Maybe the Council's trying to get rid of both of us and they won't let me out ever again?'

By now, his voice had risen to a panic-fuelled screech, while Morden remained rather calm.

'They can't arrest you just like that, they don't even have a warrant.'

'They wouldn't need one, I've already been sentenced to death...'

'Exactly – so why should they bother about holding you prisoner when they could have you executed right away? That doesn't make sense.'

Suddenly Alex jumped up and headed for the door again, banging his fists against the metal.

'For God's sake, let me go!'

Morden only shook his head in resignation.

'They won't hear you.'

'But they can see me through their fucking camera!'

'If they didn't come when I called for a life mage, they won't come now, either. Sit down and try to relax. Everything is going to be alright, your friends will be searching for you and this is the first place they will go to. Just... try to think of something else. Yes, I know it's hard, but panicking won't help. Please, sit down. Would you like to eat something?'

His eyes showing nothing but desperation, Alex stared at him.

'Are you serious?'

'Verus, there is nothing you and I can do at the moment. Nothing. We will just have to wait. So please, sit down and try to stay calm, running around screaming and panicking won't do you any good – it might even prompt them to keep you locked in until you have managed to contain yourself again.'

Slowly, the younger man resumed his seat and stared down at the tabletop until he finally reached for an apple, turning it around in his trembling hands before he took a tiny bite. The tray was shoved in his direction, the scanty meal almost untouched. Startled, he looked at Morden.

'You haven't eaten anything yourself...'

'Well...,' the death mage replied hesitantly, 'I've been having quite some trouble eating lately...'

'Why is that?'

'I have lost my appetite and right now I can't even stand looking at the food they give to me.'

'I already recognised you looked thinner... How long has this been going on?'

'For some time...'

His voice trailed off and he glanced at a point somewhere next to Alex's head, lost in thought. He wasn't used to giving away information concerning his private life, even if right now his life had become everything but private. He stared at the camera in disgust. Being watched all the time was something he'd probably never get used to. He had tried to convince his lawyers to take action against this measure he considered a severe breach of his privacy, but they had merely shrugged and told him that it was for security reasons and that there was nothing they could do – it had taken him far too long to realise that they suspected him to try and dodge trial by taking his own life. And maybe subconsciously, this had become an option lately; was this the reason why he couldn't force himself to eat any longer? He didn't want to die – but he didn't want to stay in this cell either. Of course he would accept the Council's offer that Verus had passed on to him previously, even if that meant losing his credibility among those he was determined to represent; but he could think about the implications this decision brought with it once he was home again. Right now, he had to take care of Verus, who was still shaking, although he had stopped screaming, thankfully. But they would soon be facing another problem; he looked at his visitor who had finished eating the apple and was now taking a sip from the water bottle and addressed him cautiously.

'The light will be switched off in a few moments, so maybe we should try to get some sleep...'

Alex took a look around, searching for a place to do so when Morden nodded towards the bed.

'Lie down,' he told him softly.

'No...I can't take your bed, where are you going to sleep if I do?'

'It's alright, Verus.'

'No, it's not...'

Shaking his head, Alex started running his fingers through his hair again, averting his gaze nervously.

'I probably won't sleep anyway.'

Slowly, Morden came over and put his hand on Alex's shoulder, feeling the younger one trembling.

'Come with me,' he whispered, 'It's okay, I won't let you sleep on the floor anyway and the bed is big enough for both of us. Apart from that... I think having some company might benefit both of us right now...'

Hesitantly, but without objecting any longer, Alex went over to the bed, took off his shoes and lay down close to the wall, while Morden made himself comfortable next to him, spreading out the blanket so it covered both their bodies. Only a few minutes later the lights went out, leaving them in complete darkness. For a while they lay perfectly still, but none of them seemed able to sleep. Quietly, Alex started to speak.

'How are you able to endure this without losing your mind?'

'What do you mean?'

'Being locked up in the dark, without anybody to talk to, knowing that you might never get out again – except for being executed.'

'That won't happen.'

'You don't know for sure.'

'No, I don't.'

Morden remained silent for a while; what Verus said was true. Even if he helped the Council to get their hands on Richard, things might go terribly wrong - and if they did, he'd end up dead sooner or later. Still, the worst part of it was this state of not knowing. Obviously, not everyone on the Council had agreed to offer him a deal, so he still couldn't be sure if proceedings would be halted if he did what they wanted him to. If they didn't agree, he'd still be facing trial with an uncertain outcome. A case like his, a Councillor being charged with high treason, hadn't occurred ever before, his lawyers had told him – and nobody knew how to deal with it. Maybe they were still searching the legal regulations to find out what to do. Or they were already discussing the terms of his conviction. It was beyond dispute that they would find him guilty; the only question left would be if they would have him executed right away or if his status as a member of the Junior Council would earn him a life sentence – something he wouldn't consider merciful at all. He had already lost track of time completely since his imprisonment, following the same routine day after day, his contact to the world outside restricted to occasional talks with his lawyers. The death mage sighed, looking at his visitor once again, barely able to make out his features in the dark.

'To answer your question...,' he whispered, 'I would like to say you get used to it, but you would know I was lying because you know exactly how it feels, don't you?'

'Yes,' Alex admitted, trying but failing to suppress a faint sob as the memories hit him like a tidal wave.

'I'm sorry,' Morden muttered, 'I didn't mean to upset you...'

Slowly he turned around to Alex, reaching across his upper body and wrapping the blanket around both of them so carefully as if touching a fragile glass figurine. To his utter astonishment, the younger man turned his face towards him too, curling up against his chest so he could feel his warm breath on his skin. Pulling him into his arms and holding him close, Morden started stroking his hair, trying to calm him down by talking to him quietly.

'It's okay... I know you are afraid, especially since you've been through all this before... But I promise you that it'll be alright. You're a member of the Light Council of Britain now, they can't keep you in custody just like that. Apart from that, they'd be rather stupid to lock us up in the same cell, don't you think?'

He could finally feel the diviner smiling slightly against his chest.

'Yeah, that wouldn't be very clever...'

'See? Just try to get some sleep and when you wake up, they'll have recognised that they've made a terrible mistake and get you out of here in no time.'

'I wish I could be that optimistic.'

Morden just sighed, causing Alex to get wary again.

'I'm not that optimistic any more.'

'What do you mean?' Alex asked shyly.

'I'm scared too,' Morden replied, his voice nearly inaudible. 'When they brought me here, I thought it would be a matter of weeks until I'd be released again, but once the door was locked I... sort of panicked, I paced up and down for hours, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat and I felt terribly sick, especially when I found out that they'd keep me locked in until I'd be put on trial. The only people I talked to in the last nine months were my lawyers and one of the guards who has a little chat with me once in a while. Apart from that...'

He shook his head in exhaustion.

'Did you just say that they've been keeping you in this cell the whole time? _For nine months?_ They surely let you take a shower now and then or let you take a walk somewhere around the facility, don't they?'

'No. I've been provided with a wash bowl so I can take care of my body hygiene. I haven't left this room since I was arrested.'

Alex suddenly remembered how pale and tired Morden had seemed when they were talking before; he had blamed it on the neon lights, but now that he knew that this was due to him not having seen the light of day for almost a year, he couldn't help pitying the Dark mage.

'I'm sorry,' he muttered, 'I didn't expect them to treat you like that since they seemed to have granted certain privileges to you like those books and a proper bed... And I haven't thought it possible to be kept in solitary confinement for such a long time.'

'How about you?'

'Huh?'

'What was it like when you were held captive during your apprenticeship? If I'm allowed to ask?'

Alex fell silent for a while, shifting a little until his head rested on Morden's shoulder.

'I was kept in the dark all the time, had a small bunk for sleeping and was given something to eat once a day. I got beaten regularly. But they did let me out sometimes, although it was just to help them with tasks they couldn't handle themselves.'

' _Them_ meaning...?'

'The other apprentices.'

'Ah. And Richard knew about those things?'

'I don't know... But I can imagine it happening on his orders.'

'Do you want me to stop asking? I just thought... well, you've been through this too, but you managed to survive although you were still so young... and I can't help but admire your strength. But I do get that you prefer not to talk about it...'

'No, it's alright, it's just... hard to be in a situation like that again. Although not being alone this time helps a lot.'

Alex sighed and snuggled up to Morden's chest, feeling the warmth of the other man's body through the thin layers of cloth, the arm around his back holding him tight and driving away the fear. Still he knew that he would be lying awake all night; but obviously, so was Morden.

'Aren't you going to sleep?' he mumbled against the Dark mage's shoulder.

'I have all the time in the world, so I might as well stay awake till you've fallen asleep.'

'I don't know if I can... I guess I'm too afraid to even close my eyes because this reminds me so much of...'

'Of what?'

'I never told anyone before, but... one of Richard's apprentices – the one who probably would have become his Chosen - used to come down to my cell whenever he was in the mood for tormenting somebody. I never knew when he'd come for me, so I stayed alert all the time. I couldn't sleep more than a few hours at a time any more and the faintest noise made me jump. Since then I've got problems with keeping a normal sleeping schedule.'

'Have you seen him again after you ran away?'

'Yes. I killed him.'

Suddenly, Morden started to snigger silently.

'That's something I like about you, Verus – you're facing a problem and get ready to solve it right away.'

' _Solving a problem_ , that's an interesting description for committing cold-blooded murder...'

'He took advantage of your defencelessness to hurt you, so I wouldn't call killing him _cold-blooded_.'

The diviner fell silent again, breathing slowly and in a strangely controlled manner. Wondering if this was some kind of meditation technique, Morden desisted from asking further questions and concentrated on his own respiration, trying to match its rhythm with Verus's. It felt strange, being so close to this man, holding him in his arms and feeling his heartbeat... When he had entered the room hours ago, he had been confident, aloof, almost arrogant, but now he only seemed vulnerable - and trusting. With a sigh he leant against the taller man's head and closed his eyes, his face buried deep in the soft dark hair.

*

Morning came and with the lights back on, the faint hydraulic hiss of the inner door could be heard as a guard entered the cell. He nearly dropped the tray he was holding, staring at the bed in utter disbelief.

'What the hell?!'

Morden was the first one to awake from his slumber, blinking sleepily while he tried to sit up without waking Alex, who had remained curled up completely underneath the blanket with only a few strands of his hair visible.

'Good, so someone's finally realised they made a huge mistake? I really hope the person in charge will formally apologise to Mage Verus who had to spent the whole night in this cell because the guard on duty yesterday _forgot_ to let him out after his visit.'

Turning to Alex, he gently touched his shoulder.

'Verus, wake up. Time for you to go home, visiting hours are over.'

Blinking against the bright lights, he rose and stared at the guard, who watched him with blatant anger showing on his face.

'Put your shoes back on and get the hell outta here!' he snapped.

Looking back at Morden, who was already standing beneath the bed, straightening his clothes, Alex blushed.

'That was just because...,' he said, clearing his throat, 'It doesn't mean anything.'

Morden smirked, keeping his composure.

'Of course not. Thank you for your visit, Verus. Please let the Council know that I'm going to accept their offer.'

Alex nodded.

'I will.'

With a short wave of his hand he turned to the guard, who grabbed his arm immediately and shoved him through the door. Standing in the airlock, he looked at the Councillor one last time before the metal door closed, finding him smiling slightly before he turned around to sit down at the table.

*

Alex had been able to contain a neutral expression as long as he was still in San Vittore and even when he reported to Talisid in London a few hours later, but as soon as he arrived at the Hollow he wasn't able to keep up appearances any longer. Shaking heavily, he collapsed and curled up on the floor, barely able to hold back the tears. The last 24 hours had been too much for him. He walked over to his bed and lay down, staring through the window at the multi-coloured sky, thinking about Morden. His thoughts drifted back to the night before, to the gentle way his former boss had cared for him while being emotionally troubled himself. Only when the older man had held him in his arms had he been able to relax and finally fall asleep, knowing he wasn't alone in this frightening situation. Still he wondered how Morden managed to cope with being locked up in his cell, all on his own, with no-one to talk to. Well, if everything went the way it was planned, he wouldn't have to stay there much longer. It would be a strange feeling, working with him again after the last night... Although of course nothing had happened, they had merely shared Morden's bed in lack of another sleeping accommodation, but he knew that rumours used to get a life of their own once they started to spread – and he wasn't really sure how many people had seen the CCTV footage of what had - or had not - happened in Morden's cell. Of course no-one had apologised to him once he had talked to those responsible for security and especially for granting or denying access to the prisoners; they hadn't even tried to convince him that locking him in had been a mistake and only seemed keen on getting rid of him as soon as possible before he would be able to ask further questions or make demands. Alex had talked to Talisid about the matter, but even he had thought it impossible to prove that it had happened on purpose and he should just try to forget about it.

Well, he could forget about this alleged _misunderstanding_ , but he could not forget about Morden. He would be lying in his bed by now too but contrary to Alex he wouldn't be able to look at the darkening sky or at the millions of stars illuminating the night; there would be nothing but concrete walls and impenetrable darkness all around him. Silence. Loneliness. And despair. He was almost able to feel his pain. Turning onto his back, he closed his eyes without thinking twice; he knew exactly what to do. He just didn't know if it would be a good idea.

Opening his eyes again, he found himself standing on the edge of a forest, looking over a vast and rocky cliff in front of him. The sun was shining brightly from a cloudless blue sky and a soft breeze ruffled Alex's hair as he walked over towards a lighthouse at the far end of the cliff. Seagulls screamed in the air above his head and dived down into the ocean every now and then. As he drew closer to the ledge another man came into view, his short dark hair tousled from the wind, his back turned on Alex while he watched the waves crashing against the rocks. The diviner walked over towards the cliff until he stood right beside him, staring at the horizon with a content expression on his face while he listened to the well-known voice.

'It's good to be with someone who has been through hell - life is hard, and strange, and a lot of shit happens. And when someone's been through the worst of it already, pain doesn't come as much of a surprise, they just sit down, tie their shoelaces, wave to old demons, and get on with it.'

'And that's how you learn to survive,' Alex replied.

From the corner of his eye he could see Morden smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Morden's last comment is a quote from the book 'The Truth About Magic' by Atticus - I highly recommend it to everyone who loves well-written poetry.


End file.
